Time of Dying
by PigSHOCKrabbit
Summary: REWRITE. Dramaverse. Season 2. Ryu/Take. When Take goes missing, 3-D of course jumps to his aid. But sometimes, rescuing someone doesn't always mean they've been saved.


SPAP here. I know I started this story forever ago, and after only the first chapter it went on a hiatus. As did the videos for it. I deeply apologize for that. Life just caught up with me. But now that I've had a bit more free time than before, I've decided to rewrite the story, make it better. As well as remake the videos as well. I warn you now. I own nothing but the plot. A pair of pants. And some melted gummy bears (gummy blobs, now?).

I don't even own a beta.

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He remembered raising hell in class that day. And skipping out early to snag some extra arcade time with the guys. And heading home ward when the sun sank too low. So when he woke somewhere that wasn't his bed, Takeda couldn't help but let a wave of uneasiness wash over him.

_What's going on?_

Cautiously, he lifted his head, fully opening his eyes to take in his surroundings. It was dark, almost too dark to see. But as his vision un-blurred and adjusted to the light, he could make out a few things. Like the outline of what looked like large boxes stacked against each other. Crates, perhaps? That, and the feel of concrete made Take wonder if he'd somehow drifted into some sort of storage house. How exactly – was a big blank.

Take didn't have time to dwell on it, though. From across the room, his ears picked up the sound of shoes, scuffing against the ground. He wasn't alone. That uneasiness was slowly evolving into panic – his breath coming out in short, hesitant pants.

"He's awake. Tell the boss." Take heard someone say. He gulped, already trying to scramble to his feet. It was impossible; Take couldn't bring his arms forward to push himself up. Crying out softly, he tried desperately to move them – but something weighted them down. Keeping them behind his back.

Okay. Time to fully panic.

Especially when the sound of the warehouse door opening and closing reached his ears. Followed by more footsteps. Heavier. Approaching fast.

Take stopped his initial struggle for now, eyeing the filthy pair of boots that had stopped inches from his face. From there, his gaze eased up the tall figure. Take knew it all too well. The dark clothing. The spiked hair. The large cross pendant that hung from his neck.

"Kudo..." Takeda spat, silently cursing his luck. Kudo just chuckled in response, going from towering over Take to squatting down to face him. Despite the earlier laughter – he didn't look amused.

"You little bastard...I should put a muzzle on you..." Kudo taunted, holding his hand in front of Take's face. Even in the darkness, he could faintly see an oddly shaped, slowly forming bruise on his hand. Just between his thumb and wrist. A bite mark.

_Had he done that?_

Slowly, it was coming back to him. Piece by piece. Like a moving jigsaw puzzle. He'd had a run in with Kudo. Quite literally. Take was alone – and caught completely off guard. Extremely bad odds. Add that with the fact it was five to one little guy. Takeda never had a chance.

Kudo grabbed a handful of Take's hair, pulling his head off the ground and bringing him back to the reality of the situation. Wincing, he offered Kudo the most defiant look his face could manage. Despite the underlying fear resting in his stomach. Kudo spoke again, with that same taunting tone.

"...But I think I'd rather hear you begging.."

Take snorted, and Kudo let go of his hair. His face hit the floor, sending a dull throbbing pain through his skull. That alone earned a seething hiss from Take's teeth. He had to close his eyes to avoid seeing stars. Footsteps started again. Loud. Circling him like a vulture to a carcass. Changing location to mess with his head.

Trapped, was exactly what Take was. Facing down the fangs of the enemy alone, without a shred of defense. Enclosed god-knows-where and without the ability to move. Help – Take needed it. Now. Trying to fight of the dark, fearful and invading thoughts that threaten to take over his logic, he tried to come up with some means of escape.

Take considered scrambling to his feet – just taking off running. But the fact that he was surely outnumbered ended that plan. He'd be caught before he reached the door. Not that he could see it anyway.

He continued to plot, coming up with the most random of ideas. None that would work. What could he do? What would Hayato or Ryu do?

_Ryu..._

Desperate, he inched his bound arms down lower than his back. Hoping. Reaching for his back pocket. But he couldn't feel the familiar bulge that his cell phone usually created. Take slumped down, defeated. Not even bother to look up as Kudo stopped his circling, crouching back down and holding something else in front of face. The mystery of his missing cell phone solved.

"Sorry, I'm borrowing this. You don't need it anyway. Not like you're going anywhere." Kudo said, dangling the small device in front of him. If Take's hands weren't tied, he would have tried to reach for it. Take thought of a new word to describe him.

_Screwed. _

Kudo continued talking. Take had no choice but to listen.

"Rumor has it that you're the reason Odagiri kissed the ground for Ara High. Didn't want you to get hurt in the heat of a fight?"

Take winced at just the memory of that. The anger in Hayato's eyes, the fight between him and Ryu. The not knowing were his childhood friend was doing – only that he was away from school. And not near him. Even to this day, it hurt. Kudo had struck a nerve, but Take didn't grant him a response.

"If Odagiri is willing to give up his pride and reputation to keep you from harm...what would he do to keep you in one piece?"

Take stayed silent.

"Lets find out..." And with that, Take's captor drew back his leg, bringing it forward to deliver the first kick.

Ryu jolted up, taking in a large, gasping breath. Eyes wide and sweat beading his forehead, he looked around – taking the familiar scenery of his own room. His stereo. His bookshelf. His bed. He was home. Taking in a few more breaths to calm himself, Ryu leaned back on his arms and steadied himself, staring at the bland ceiling above him.

_What the hell?_

Ryu could've sworn it was a nightmare – but he couldn't remember the details. It had to have been the worst, to pull him out of his slumber so roughly. Strange. It felt so real, but at the same time, he wasn't sure what it was.

Getting bored with staring at the ceiling, he hung his head, shifting his eyes to the side to check his cell phone. No new messages. No missed calls. It was late – understandable. Why he checked it was beyond him. Ryu just felt the need to.

Heaving a long sigh, Ryu pulled the covers completely off of him, turning on his bed and placing his feet on the floor. Making his way out of his room and through the hallway. Quietly down the stairs and into the overly clean kitchen.

Reaching into one of the higher cabinets, he retrieved an older glass for himself. Although his fathers liquor proved to be quite tempting, he filled the dish full of water. Alcohol was never kind to him, and having to deal with a temperamental Hayato and an overly perky Takeda at school was hard enough.

Doing it hungover would be hell on earth.


End file.
